canklecat

Yup, folks who haven't experienced thyroid problems have no idea what it's like. I didn't. It was years before I got a correct diagnosis, because even other doctors overlooked a relatively simple test.

And after years with hypothyroidism -- yet exercising anyway, even though I felt like a zombie some days -- getting up to the correct dosage kinda feels like taking PEDs. Within a couple of weeks my average speed went from slogging around at 12 mph back to 17 mph. Still not all that fast by the standards of other guys my age, judging from local Strava logs on routes we all ride. But a lot better than the past year. I might even join a few group rides again.

I stopped most group rides back in autumn 2019 because I couldn't seem to keep up anymore with the same folks I'd ridden with before, same pace, same routes and conditions. I'd get dropped on the first little rollers and never could seem to get warmed up and catch up. Then the pandemic put a damper on most group rides anyway, but even after most of us were vaccinated and ready to go again I still couldn't keep up.

The past week or so I've even had enough energy to jog and ride later in the same day. That was unthinkable most of last year. I could handle one activity and flop on the sofa for a nap as soon as I got home.

If it'll do that for a very middle-of-the-pack 60something dude, I can imagine the effects on a younger prime athlete, even micro-dosing various PEDs to stay within the un-doped baseline limits to avoid failing a test.